Making Not Buying

I used to do loads of cardmaking and really enjoyed it, and occasionally I earned a few quid making specially requested personal cards. Over the years card making has slipped lower in my preferred crafts and I now only make for family birthdays or if one of the kids asks for a card for a friend. Although DD2 and I will be making her wedding invitations next year. However, I do still have an embarrasingly large stash of card making materials. Next week is my daughter-in-law's birthday. They now live in Basingstoke and I had to send the card today to make sure it arrived in time.When I got up this morning I thought, can I really be bothered making this card or should I go to the shop in town that sells cards cheaply and buy one? Extending my decision to try and use up my food stocks during September to other areas where I have a suplus, I gave myself a good talking to and got stuck in. After all, I have the supplies, why spend money when I don't have too even if I could get a shop bought card for around 80p? So, this is what I made.

DIL is an army musician and although she can play several instruments guitar is her favourite. I'm quite pleased with it and it only took about half an hour to put together once I'd decided on the design and printed everything out. Not a great saving, but a sense of accomplishment nonetheless. I have several birthdays coming up over the next couple of months and while I was at it I've printed out all the images and inserts to make another 4 cards, potentially saving me another £3.20 at least. 

In a similar vein - and this time definitely food-related - we're having a sandwich dinner tonight and DH had requested I buy some rolls or a crusty loaf and cooked meat for his. I could have paid around £1 for rolls or a loaf in Morrisons, but I have a breadmaker that makes a fastbake loaf, bread flour bought from Approved Foods, and yeast from Aldi. I added cheese to the mixing process and then more on top at the beginning of the rise and here is a the end result.

It might not look as perfect as a shop bought one but I know it will taste as good if not better. and that's another £1 saved. Unfortunately, I did have to buy the cooked meat, but I didn't think 39p for 10 slices of garlic sausage in Aldi was too extravagant.

I saw that Ilona had repaired a table instead of buying a new, and wonder if anyone else has made or repaired anything rather than spending money this week.